Study Looking at Effect of Silverlon® on Post Operative Wound Infections
Posted on Mon, Jan 17, 2011
A randomized controlled clinical trial evaluating the efficacy of Silverlon® in preventing surgical site infection following colorectal surgery is being sponsored by the University of South Florida.
The study is currently recruiting participants. Current information on the status of this study can be found at clinicaltrials.gov.
A Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial Evaluating the Efficacy of Silverlon® in Preventing Surgical Site Infection Following Colorectal Surgery
Sponsored by
University of South Florida
Purpose
This clinical study is a prospective, randomized, controlled trial of patients undergoing elective colorectal surgical procedures that receive an abdominal skin incision of at least 6 cm. Treatment with Silverlon® will be compared to standard postoperative dressings of 4x4 Gauze and paper tape. Patients will be randomized with a 1:1 treatment allocation ratio to receive either 1) Silverlon® or 2) standard postsurgical dressing. Neither the Investigators nor the participants will be blinded to the treatment modality after randomization. Silver has long been known to have antimicrobial properties. It interacts with structural proteins and DNA, inhibiting bacterial replication and causing fatal structural changes within the cell wall. It has broad antimicrobial activities and unlike antibiotics, it is rarely associated with microbial resistance. Silverlon® is a silver-nylon dressing specifically designed for surgical wounds to prevent the development of surgical site infections. It is an easy to use product with no known microbial resistance or adverse effects. The efficacy of Silverlon® in preventing surgical site infections has been shown in several retrospective studies but as of yet has not been tested in a prospective fashion. The objective of this study is to perform a prospective, randomized, clinical trial directly comparing the incidence of surgical site infections in patients treated with Silverlon® to standard postoperative dressing following elective colorectal surgery
Eligibility
Gender: Both
Ages eligible for study: 18 Years - N/A
Criteria: Inclusion Criteria: 1. All patients undergoing elective colorectal surgery by a trained colorectal surgeon with an abdominal skin incision of at least 3 cm 2. Patients that are willing and able to comply with the requirements of the protocol including follow-up requirements 3. Patients willing and able to sign a study specific informed consent Exclusion Criteria: 1. Patients that fail to meet the skin incision size criteria 2. Patients with a known allergy to silver 3. Patients less than 18 years of age 4. Any contraindication to undergoing a surgical procedure under general anesthesia 5. Patients with preoperative evidence of a current abdominal wall infection/surgical site infection from a previous laparotomy/laparoscopy 6. Patients that have received antibiotic therapy within the week prior to surgery 7. Patients with preoperative evaluation suggestive of an intra-abdominal process that would preclude full closure of the skin 8. Patients with a previously placed anterior abdominal wall mesh that is not planned to be completely removed during the planned procedure 9. Women who are pregnant or breast feeding or are considering becoming pregnant during the follow-up period 10. Mental incompetence as determined by the Investigator which would affect participation in the study 11. Concurrently participating in any other investigational study
Location and Contact Information
Florida Tampa General Hospital and University of South Florida Medical Clinics
Tampa, Florida 33606
Additional Information
Information obtained from ClinicalTrials.gov on January 13, 2011
Reduce Surgical Site Infections
with Silverlon® Antimicrobial Dressings
